Throwback to my race earlier this month: I saw my Good Samaritan, Bev, at Phoenix’s Pivot Sunset Shred ladies’ ride last week! The Sunset Shred is always a good time and proceeds go to a worthy cause. This year’s recipient of the Shred’s proceeds is the Hawes Trail Alliance, which is super cool because the HTA is a local organization that develops and maintains trails in the Hawes trail system. I always have a great time riding at Hawes and hopefully the proceeds will help the HTA do more of its great work!
Another cool element of a Sunset Shred ride is the opportunity to demo a bike. I decided to test ride an electric bike (or, “e-bike”). I rode a Pivot Shuttle LT (the “LT” stands for “long travel”) and WOW, it was pretty amazing to climb up trails without breaking a sweat or breathing hard! I’m not looking for an e-bike now, as I just got a new bike last year and it is a fantastic bike! But…it sure was fun motoring up the climbs on that e-bike. 🙂
The best element of a Sunset Shred ride is the company. Riding with other like-minded lady riders is always a fun time!
The requisite group picture before we roll out.Me with the Shuttle LT.This might be my favorite picture from the night. This is Nataly and me!Fun group picture.Me with my “Good Samaritan” friend, Bev!
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*Now to the “24 hours” part of this blog post….last weekend, a few of us decided to do an overnight backpacking trip. We picked Horton Creek for our “slumber party in the woods” and monitored the weather forecast closely. Unfortunately, the forecast indicated lots of rain and cold temperatures. However, we were undaunted and kept saying that “we could handle anything for 24 hours!”
This backpacking trip was only my 3rd one ever (the last time I went was over 10 years ago!), so obviously, I’m not very experienced. I was reminded again of how much STUFF is involved when backpacking: backpack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothing, food, water, headlamp, etc. Thankfully, a couple of my friends had Jetboils (i.e., portable stove) and we shared tents to reduce the gear we had to take.
The weather was cold that weekend; the high temperature was in the high 70s F (23C) and the low temperature was just above freezing (about 40F, or 5C). It did rain for the first half of the hike, then hailed for a few minutes, then cleared up. The Horton Creek hike is not a difficult one: it is about 8 miles (13 km) out and back and the elevation gain is around 1500 feet (457 m). I didn’t notice the climbing, even with my backpack on. I DID notice my shoulders aching a bit, due to the backpack!
The “slumber party” was still fun and I really enjoyed being out in nature, having good conversations, eating and sleeping outside, and seeing stars (no light pollution!). I would definitely do another backpacking trip and yes, will TRAIN for it!
Starting in mist and rain.More mistiness.All smiles as we head out!Fall colours are starting to appear.Horton Creek!Taking a break.Look at that bushy tail!I look like a turtle with that huge backpack on!Camp is set up.I brought my hard-earned finisher’s mug from the mountain bike race I did a couple weeks ago!Jess brought some really cool LED camp lights that she hung around our campsite!Trying to start a fire using the “teepee” method.Starting the hike back to the trailhead.It really is pretty out there.Yay, I’m hiking!We did get some pretty light.
It’s been a while since we spent a weekend with our friends Carl and Lifan. We finally scheduled Memorial Day weekend to camp and mountain bike on Mingus Mountain, near Jerome, AZ, because my SAT (self-appointed trainer) was excited to show us some of the trails he’s enjoyed the past year. I was excited to escape the Phoenix heat, which was — and is — ramping up.
Both my SAT and I took Friday off work and we spent a few hours in the morning packing and getting the last details in place before heading out. When we left at around 11am, my GPS said that there was a crash a bit north of us on the I-17. Therefore, we decided to take the scenic route through Yarnell and Prescott to Mingus. Neither of us had taken that route to Prescott before and were pleasantly surprised at how pretty the drive was. We were enjoying the lush trees (yes, in Arizona!) and charming ranch houses so much that we neglected to take pictures. I’m guessing that all of the green is due to the multiple springs in the area, marked by signs indicating “Hidden Springs,” or “Iron Springs,” etc.
We arrived at the dispersed camp area around 2:30pm. (We decided to disperse camp rather than stay at the Mingus Mountain campground because our friends were bringing their dogs and the campground wouldn’t be conducive to letting the dogs roam freely.) After driving up and down the gravel road, we staked our claim to a large, lovely, tree-covered campsite. We had to drive up the gravel road about 5 minutes to get enough cell reception to text our friends the campsite location; we were going “off the grid” this weekend!
We set up camp shortly after this picture was taken.
A couple hours after we set up camp, our friend Ian arrived in time to start making dinner (Impossible burgers and potato salad). Delicious! Pretty soon, it was time for bed. We opted to sleep in the back of our truck and yes, it was pretty cozy. 😉 Good thing that nighttime temperatures were cool (about 8C / 45F).
The next morning, we awoke to see free range cattle grazing in our campsite! I love seeing wildlife. 🙂 While enjoying a leisurely breakfast (vegan blueberry muffins, vegan quiche, gourmet coffee), we discussed how to set up the shuttle for the day’s mountain bike ride. (For the uninitiated, a mountain bike “shuttle” refers to when (at least) 2 people drive 2 cars to where the ride ends. Then, after parking 1 car at the endpoint, both people drive the other car back to where the riders are. THEN, everyone (and their bikes) piles into the car for the drive to the trailhead. This process is adjusted depending on how many riders, bikes, and vehicles are available/needed. It took my SAT and Ian 2.5 hours to set up our shuttle (thank you!).
Watching the cows from inside the truck bed!My SAT and Ian measuring and hand-grinding their coffee beans. Addicts unite!Ian made quiche! Very fancy (and yummy).
Carl and Lifan arrived mid-morning with their lovable doggies, Millie and Nala. After they settled in, we all packed into the truck (yes, all 5 of us in the cab!) and drove to the trailhead. We started with trail #9037, followed by the Black Canyon trail #114, then ended with the Gaddes #110 downhill. I think the word of the day was “adventurous,” because most of us found the first half of the ride to be fairly challenging. Why? Because the trail:
was very narrow singletrack
was overgrown (because the trail wasn’t ridden much by others and therefore not maintained)
featured lots of loose rock
was steep and exposed (i.e., the trail overlooked a canyon. Not good for those afraid of heights!).
So….yeah. That first half was a bit beyond my comfort zone. Oh. Right. I already said the ride was challenging. 😀 We went slowly and honestly, I felt like we weren’t ever going to finish the ride. I fell along one steep section because it was covered in slippery pine needles. After I fell, Lifan, who was behind me, fell in the same spot, then her husband, Carl, who was ahead of us, turned around to come back to us and then HE fell. My SAT tried to encourage us, saying that the trail would widen and that it would get easier…soon….However, before the trail got better, we had to navigate one very short and steep “hike-a-bike” (HAB) section, which is exactly as it sounds! The top of the HAB section was the physical high point of the ride, if not the psychological high point. When we reached the top, we were greeted by very gusty wind and great views. Finally! The trail DID start to open up and it became a bit smoother and easier, allowing all of us to ride much faster. We all reached the bottom safely and were extremely happy to see Ian’s Tesla waiting for us. Hooray! My SAT got everyone Cokes and snacks at the nearby Maverick gas station, as a peace offering, then we went back to camp. Overall, the 12 mile ride took 4 hrs 15 minutes (yes, that includes breaks, but still…) and although it did feature more challenges than I anticipated, it was still great to enjoy the cool temperatures and beautiful scenery with friends. Nothing like suffering together to solidify friendships! Back at camp, we devoured burgers and potato salad (again, but who cares?), with raspberry crumble bars and cookies. Food seems to taste better outside….and after exerting considerable physical and mental energy, haha. After some hangout time around the kerosene lamp fire (there is a fire ban, which means NO campfires), we all got ready for bed.
All 5 of us in the truck cab. Ian is driving and I’m sitting on my SAT’s lap.Took a wrong turn at the start of the ride and ended up at the lookout point.Too bad the wrong turn meant we climbed for nothing.Views were pretty nice!Top of the HAB section. Happy to be done the HAB section.More smiles, now that we reached the easier part of the ride!So. Much. Green.We survived! Check out the Tesla and the 4-bike rack! (My bike is INSIDE the Tesla, because it’s the smallest bike.)
We all enjoyed another leisurely morning on Sunday, with lots of oatmeal, coffee, fruit, and conversation. Our friend (and Ian’s GF gf, i.e., gluten-free girlfriend) Vanessa arrived. Because none of us were looking for another strenuous ride (apologies to my SAT, haha), we decided to do a couple more moderate downhill trails (specifically, trail #533 and a couple of connector trails). We did have to do a shuttle, but this time, it was much less involved. This time, all 6 of us were in the truck: 4 people in the cab and 2 people, plus 2 bikes, in the back of the truck. The rest of the bikes were on the bike rack. My SAT and I elected to “take one for the team” by riding in the back of the truck. It wasn’t too uncomfortable, mainly because the drive was short and the 2 borrowed pillows from Carl and Lifan helped to cushion our aging knees. 🙂 The mountain biking this day was really fun, with enough flow and technical sections to provide (appropriate) challenge and lots of smiles. 10/10, I totally recommend.
Relegated to the back of the truck!How many people can one truck hold?Fun ride with good people.
After arriving back at camp, a few of us tested out our solar shower. Verdict: 2 thumbs up! It felt amazing to clean up a bit. We made tofu tacos for our last camp dinner, then hung out in Carl and Lifan’s Sprinter van with their dogs to end our last evening together. All too soon, morning came, and we all parted ways. Thanks for a great weekend everyone!
Our solar shower. Fill the black bag with water, let bag lie in the sun for several hours, hang from tree, and voilå! Nala, left, and Millie. Two tired doggies cuddling in the van.
reluctantroadie 